McCain's sins? Working for immigration reform ("amnesty," as they call it), cooperating with Ds, flip-floppin', and being "eerily silent" against liberals, while he "publicly reprimands conservatives in his own party."

Isn't that what the crazies were doing — publicly reprimanding McCain?

In any case, the measure passed by an overwhelming voice vote, with a couple of people speaking on McCain's behalf beforehand.

New Times Photo Illustration

Chock-full of salty nuts

Carole Klein, from Legislative District 23, said she supported the McCain censure on the county level but now felt the Rs were shooting themselves in the foot.

"The entire media and those people who are Independents and the Democrats look at this and say, 'Oh, look at the Republicans . . . They don't know which way they're going,'" she said.

She quickly was hooted down.

When the item passed, LaFaro practically leapt into the air, as if experiencing a full-body orgasm. I caught up with him outside and asked if the vote didn't make the party look nuts to outsiders.

"Nah, we're not nuts," he replied. "We are very, very passionate conservatives who believe in this great country."

What about Ronald Reagan's vision of the party as a big tent, accepting to all kinds of Rs?

I challenged him to put a $20 bet on that proposition. LaFaro laughed off the offer, though I was as serious as a parson.

Well, if he can't even put $20 on it . . .

Censuring McCain was not the weirdest part of the meeting. That belonged to the donnybrook over whether the party should oppose any call for a constitutional convention.

On one side were the conspiratorial conservatives of the John Birch Society, and on the other was a sort of states' rights contingent against any Bircher restrictions on the right to call for a constitutional convention.

During the back and forth on this resolution, speakers invoked the specter of liberal billionaire George Soros, as well as of the dreaded Council on Foreign Relations (ooga-booga). Sure signs that you've stepped into a far-right fruit-loop convention.

The measure went down in flames, and our republic remains safe, or, um, not, depending on which wacko you chat with.

On a side note, I was heartened to see longtime Sergeant at Arms Alberto Gutier survive a Tea Party challenge to his position — one of the few contested — by a mere 100 votes.

Sure, Gutier, director of the governor's Office of Highway Safety, is a good guy.

But if a Tea Party dude had replaced him, I might be persona non grata at the next state GOP meeting and miss all the wackadoodle fun.

How can Arizona voters continue to elect this ignoramus? How many lives and how much money must this country continue to waist on such a non-productive action such as wars. When ever he is in front of the camera all he has to talk about is supporting some other nation with military arms or starting another conflict by sending our troops in some God forsaken place. For someone who spent years as a prisoner of war, this guy has no sense to want to expose our military to the ill effects of war! Furthermore, he speaks in front of the cameras as if he alone represents the entire republican Party. I know why the Republican Party has suffered in the past elections, because they allow boneheads like McCain to run the show. Wake up Arizona, McCain is an embarrassment to this great country and to the voters of Arizona. One last thing, does he know how many houses he owns today if asked? What a jerk off!

"... speakers invoked the specter of liberal billionaire George Soros, as well as of the dreaded Council on Foreign Relations (ooga-booga). Sure signs that you've stepped into a far-right fruit-loop convention."

Got to love it! The Left-Wingnuts have the Koch Brothers as well as the dreaded American Legislative Exchange Council (OOGA-BOOGA)... Sure signs of a Congregation of the Looney Left.

The Article V amendment that has to do with doing away with the 17th Amendment, would actually allow each state to decide how they would want their US Senate representatives chosen, utilizing the same language that is already in the US Const. as it applies to the selection of each state's presidential electors.

The Article V amendment I would most like to is see placed before the voting public, as all Article V "proposed" amendment must be, is one that would confirm the definition of an Art. II, §I, cl. 4 natural born citizenship.

Under present court decision, even the offspring born in this country of 'domiciled', undocumented alien parents are considered "natural born US citizens" without any transfer of allegiance, or pledge, to support and abide by the US Const. Under present court decision, the awesome power to create the qualifications for the president and vice-president of the United States, itself, has been taken out of the hands of we the People, where the founders and framers had placed it, and now resides in the hands of Congress. And, lastly, under present court decision, the courts see no difference in their sovereignty between Americans governed in and by a constitutional Republic and British subjects, born in perpetually allegiance to one sovereign personage.

Prior to coming to Arizona in 1976, I had lived in Alaska. I was looking forward to living in a state that was more politically ' developed. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Arizona politics borders on 'primitive'. I consider myself fiscally conservative and liberal on matters of rights. I found Arizona dominated by dinosaurs, likely mostly ranchers, or with that mindset. Arizona was their sandbox and they intended it to stay that way. The dems (at least in my view) mostly seem bent on radical change as opposed to meaningful improvements, so littlle change has happened.